Contributors
(alphabetically): Cranerat, dachande, frankendoodle65, Hive Trygon,
Navarro, Phage, Verm1s.
One of the common
reasons to collect Tyranids is for the conversion possibilities.
This often leads quickly to a need for putty and clays to sculpt
bits, fill gaps, create skins, and more. Although this is a general
hobby topic, we will tackle it here in detail and try to give
it a little Tyranid flavor in the process.
This is NOT a page about
sculpting. That will be found on our Hobby
FAQ and Sculpting
Tyranids page.
- Epoxy Ribbon Putties
- Two-Part Synthetic Clays
- Polymer Clays
- Solvent-Based Putties
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Kneadatite
Blue/Yellow ("Green Stuff" in
the miniatures community)
- Two-part epoxy,
ribbon
- Produced by Polymeric
Systems, Inc.
- Uses: sculpting,
skins
- Detail work @ 28
mm scale: good
- Cured texture: somewhat
rubbery, not sandable/machinable
- Work time: 1.5 to
2 h
- Cure: 4-5 h set,
20-24 h complete*
- Finish: can achieve
smooth finish
- Approximate cost:
US$12 per 100 grams
* - can be accelerated
to minutes with application of heat
This is the most commonly used material for sculpting miniatures.
It is often used in concert with putties that cure to a harder
consistency to achieve sharp edges, e.g. weapon edges, and/or greater
structural integrity, e.g. a skinny region that experiences large
forces. It is not cheap, so some sculptors will use a cheaper material
to build up their piece and then lay green stuff over it.
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Kneadatite Blue/White
This putty is a cousin of Kneadatite Blue/Yellow;
it tends to be better at gap-filling, but not as good for sculpting.
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Kneadatite
Brown/Aluminum ("Brown Stuff")
- Two-part epoxy,
ribbon
- Produced by Polymeric
Systems, Inc.
- Uses: fine
details, thin pieces
- Detail work @ 28
mm scale: excellent
- Cured texture:
hard, it is sandable/machinable
- Work time: 1
to 2 h
- Cure: 4-5 h set,
20-24 h complete*
- Finish: can achieve
glass-like finish
- Approximate cost: US$100
per 100 grams
* - can be accelerated
to minutes with application of heat
This putty is good
for fine details and cures hard, so it also good for pieces
that are thin or under great stress, which
might deform if made from Kneadatite
Blue/Yellow (however, both putties have the same mechanical
strength). It can be used to increase the hardness of Kneadatite
Blue/Yellow by directly mixing the two putties. However,
it is more expensive than Blue/Yellow.
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Milliputt
Standard Yellow/Gray
- Two-part epoxy,
separate sticks of material
- Produced by The
Milliput Company
- Uses: sculpting,
fine details, thin pieces
- Detail work @ 28
mm scale: OK
- Cured texture:
hard, it is sandable/machinable
- Work time: 1.5
to 2 h
- Cure: 3-4 h set*,
3-4 h complete cure*
- Finish: can achieve
glass-like finish
- Approximate cost:
US$8 per 100 grams
* - can be accelerated
to minutes with application of heat
This inexpensive putty
is not as good as Kneadatite Blue/Yellow for
fine details, but cures hard, so it is good for pieces require
rigidity, which might deform if made from Kneadatite
Blue/Yellow. However, it is somewhat brittle, so razor
thin protruding features might chip/crack. It can be used to
increase the hardness of Kneadatite Blue/Yellow by
directly mixing the two putties. This is great stuff for making
bases. It does not hold detail as well as Kneadatite
Blue/Yellow, but if you are working at a scale larger than
28 mm, the ability to hold detail is probably fine. Milliputt
is slightly water soluble until cured.
Tips & Tricks
- For a smoother
finish, paint/swab the putty with water before it cures;
you can achieve a glass-like finish with this putty using
this approach.
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Mixing
Epoxy Putties
Let's say you want the
detail-sculpting capacity of one putty, but the rigidity of another.
Well, you can't eat your cake and have it too; believe me I've
tried, many times. However, you can often find a happy medium
by simply mixing the
putties
to accomplish
your desired median property.
The greater the portion of a putty, the more prominently it will
factor into the final properties of your hybrid. Here are some
examples that have been used to good effect.
- Kneadatite Blue/Yellow
& Kneadatite Brown/Aluminum: a balance between the sculptability
of B/Y and the ability to hold an edge with B/A, for example.
- Kneadatite Blue/Yellow & Milliputt:
more or less, a cheaper alternative to the above.
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- Two-part synthetic
clay
- Produced by Aves
Studio
- Uses: general sculpting
and detail work
- Detail work @ 28
mm scale: OK/good*
- Cured texture: hard,
it is sandable/machinable
- Work time: 1 to
3 h
- Cure: "overnight" set*,
24 h complete cure
- Finish: can achieve
glass-like finish
- Approximate cost:
US$2.4 per 100 grams
* - good detail takes
practice and you should wait an hour so after mixing to let it
set up slightly.
This very inexpensive
putty has a finer grain than Milliputt and is almost as good
as Kneadatite
Blue/Yellow for
fine details, but cures hard, so it is good for pieces require
rigidity, which might deform if made
from Kneadatite
Blue/Yellow. However, it is somewhat brittle, so razor thin
protruding features might chip/crack. This is great stuff for
making bases. It does not hold detail as well as Kneadatite
Blue/Yellow, but if you are working at a scale larger than
28 mm, the ability to hold detail is probably fine. Apoxie Sculpt
is slightly water soluble until cured.
Tips & Tricks
- For a smoother finish,
paint/swab the putty with water before it cures; you can achieve
a glass-like finish with this putty using this approach.
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Sculpey
- Polymer clay
- Produced by Sculpey
- Uses: sculpting,
fine details, thin pieces
- Detail work @ 28
mm scale: not
good
- Cured texture: hard,
it is sandable/machinable
- Work time: indefinite,
requires oven cure
- Cure: bake at 130ºC (275ºF)
for 15 minutes per 6mm (1/4") of thickness
- Finish: can achieve
smooth finish
- Approximate cost:
US$1.1 per 100 grams
This putty is one of the
cheapest you can find that is still somewhat usable. It's also readily
available. It's best used for bulk jobs or simple terrain/base
work, where mass is more important than detail, e.g. building up a
body, then layering it with a skin of putty to achieve better outer
detail. You might consider using Super
Sculpey instead.
Note: manufacturer suggests "bulking out pieces thicker than 12 mm (1/2")
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Super Sculpey
- Polymer clay
- Produced by Sculpey
- Uses: sculpting,
fine details, thin pieces
- Detail work @ 28
mm scale: OK
- Cured texture: hard,
it is sandable/machinable
- Work time: indefinite,
requires oven cure
- Cure: requires baking
- Finish: can achieve
smooth finish
- Approximate cost:
US$2.2 per 100 grams
Like Sculpey, this putty
is one of the cheapest you can find. It can take on details better
than Sculpey and provide a smoother end finish than Sculpey. This is
still better suited for bulk work, terrain, and bases.
Note: manufacturer suggests "bulking
out pieces thicker than 12 mm (1/2")
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Squadron
Putty ("Green Stuff" in the
plastic kits community)
- Solvent-based putty
- Produced by Squadron
Company
- Uses: sculpting,
fine details, thin pieces
- Detail work @ 28
mm scale: OK
- Cured texture: hard,
it is sandable/machinable
- Work time: minutes
or less
- Cure: 30 minutes
- Finish: can achieve
smooth finish
- Approximate cost:
US$4.2 per 100 grams
This putty is not generally
used for minis. It is usually used as a gap-filler by plastic kit enthusiasts;
not surprising, since the company that makes it calls it a
filler. It's included here
mostly
to educate
folks that "green
stuff" can
have a very different meaning, depending upon your audience. Since
it
is solvent-based
and
a single component, you can squirt it out of a tube and use it directly.
It's only really good for tiny gap/seam filling, because it shrinks
too much for large gap filling. There is a Green version and a
White version; the white is supposed to have a finer grit.
Tips & Tricks
- For hard
to reach areas, thin with acetone, 60:40 putty:acetone, and
paint into desired location.
- For a smoother finish,
paint/swab the putty with acetone-based nailpolish remover immediately
after application
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